You’ve probably played (or seen) Vampire Survivors gameplay by now. You start out underpowered and must move around the map auto-attacking enemies until you earn enough experience to unlock a new weapon or item.
Over time, you’ll get even stronger more weapons and upgrades, each one synergizing with the others in your growing arsenal. But what if I told you that those weapons and items could be Pokemon-like ancient spirits with a whole range of abilities? Enter Wildkeepers Rising.
Guardian up
That entire premise is exactly what sold me on Wildkeepers Rising. Developer Lioncode Games has evolved the genre that Vampire Survivors epitomizes and made something that feels fresh and new. Each level sees your character, a Wildkeeper, start with nothing but a single weapon. You’ll explore a huge map with biomes and varied terrain in search of Guardians to help you push back the waves of enemies rushing you.
Guardians are ancient spirits who have been sealed away. You’ll see them on the map from the start of a level, and choose between a few with every Guardian Stone you collect. The design for these spirits is inspired by the works of Hayao Miyazaki & Akira Toriyama, and they really are outstanding. Each one has a distinct design that tells a little story about what its abilities are, whether that’s a huge twisting tail, massive jaws, or an arachnid-like appearance.
The game retains a top-down 2D view, but the hand-painted nature of every sprite makes them look a lot more tactile. It just brings the game to life in a way that looks like you should be able to reach out and pick up each character on the screen. Like an army created from 2D images drawn onto paper but with the thought processes and detail behind them that you’d expect from a movie like Princess Mononoke.
Over the course of any level, you can collect up to four Guardians, but they’re not all offensive powerhouses. For example, Buzz is a huge beast with a powerful attack and special spin ability and Riza lays eggs that produce tiny spiders that swarm enemies. But then there’s Smack, a chunky little spirit who buffs the attack power of his fellow Guardians.
The goal is to craft a team of four Guardians who complement each other. So, you could pick up Buzz first to get your damage out. Then, you can grab Smack to ensure you’ve got increased damage for everyone throughout the run. Later, you can acquire Kiraboom, who builds up energy for an explosive special attack. Finally, you can get my favorite, Murkle, who is a blue snail that fires purple globs at enemies with an almost machine gun-like speed.
While Guardians can faint, they won’t die. They’ll be incapacitated for a short time and then return to the fight. Lioncode Games explained how there will be items in the early access version of the game, and more may be added over time, some of which could help heal Guardians and your Wildkeeper.
More control at your fingertips
Unlike other bullet heaven titles, you’ve got a little more control in Wildkeepers Rising. Guardians follow you with predictable movement patterns so you can direct damage as you explore and pursue objectives. Each Guardian also has a special ability that you can trigger. Saving these for moments when you feel overwhelmed or one of the choke points on the map, like a bridge, is imperative.
As you might expect, there are more than just Guardians and items to acquire in the game. You’re presented with a slew of upgrades to choose between as you gain levels. These can boost everything from speed to health, attack power, and even push a Guardian’s special ability to be even better. Teh game has a rarity system that guides you through the best upgrades to pick for your current build, but you’re free to craft whatever sort of build you fancy.
I asked Lioncode Games if there was a limit on these upgrades. It explained that, while you’ll eventually hit a point where you can’t upgrade an aspect such as speed if you keep picking speed upgrades each time you’ve offered them, there’s no hard limit on how many upgrade screens you’ll see. This means that you can keep growing in power with every run until you reach your objective.
A reason for each run
The map in Wildkeepers Rising has been carefully crafted with three distinct biomes: The forest, desert, and caves. They’re far from the basic 2D backgrounds that act as an excuse for rushing around killing enemies in other bullet heavens. Trees, rocks, and other parts of the environment can’t be passed through or over by enemies, Guardians, or the player’s character, making for engaging runs where enemies track you around paths and obstacles.
You can use this to your advantage in the forest and kite enemies to a choke point before wiping them out with a special ability. Likewise, enemies can surprise you somewhere like the caves and pin you against a wall with wave after wave of minions until you’re overwhelmed. This means you’ve got to pay attention to where you’re going and learn the map over time so you don’t get caught out.
Wildkeepers Rising features a story with main and side quests to keep you invested in the world and push you to do just one more run to see where said story is going. It won’t all be available when the game is released in early access, but you’ll be able to play a decent chunk to get an idea of how the gameplay loop and flow of every run works.
Objectives range from reaching a specific point on the map to rescue a Wildkeeper or Guardian to retrieving an item or beating a boss. These massive foes are the true test of your understanding and skill in the game. If you know what you’re doing, you should be able to stomp them with a well-crafted build you’ve constructed while making your way to the boss.
It’s not all high-octane action, though. Between missions, you can visit the spirit realm to check in on every Guardian you’ve rescued and used so far. In this location, you’ll see them in their homes and get an idea of how they interact and what they get up to when you’re not around. This is the game’s version of a Pokedex or Paldeck, which I think is essential. In games with creatures like this, there’s nothing better than getting to know the beautiful and intriguing creatures you’re playing around with.
This is where you’ll finally have a chance to appreciate the artwork in Wildkeepers Rising. The enemies look mad and dangerous while you’re out on a mission, and the panic of almost being overrun takes all your focus. Having a space to really look at each Guardian’s appearance and take in the intricacies of their design is a really nice feature.
A long road ahead
As I’ve mentioned a few times, Wildkeepers Rising is still in development and will be initially released in early access on Steam. Lioncode Games has a roadmap for features it wants to add, such as weapons, more Guardians, and the game’s entire story. However, it’s also aware that it must work with its community to identify features players want in Wildkeepers Rising and implement them as well.
The gameplay I was shown during a preview event looked like a fantastic base upon which to build. You can already see how frantic runs are going to become as enemies move around the map through available paths to hinder your progress and create some intense moments.
The most exciting element is definitely the range of Guardians on offer and the fact that they can be upgraded so regularly over the course of a 20 to 25-minute run that you feel like you’re always growing in power. These rewards for standing your ground and fighting back against enemies are more than enough to make me want to stretch a run out a little longer before completing an objective and moving on.
At the time of writing, Lioncode Games plans to have various difficulty levels to make every mission engaging and give you a reason to return and replay the story. There’s a lot to love, from the elements on show, but with more, I can see myself losing dozens of hours collecting Guardians and seeing just how far I can push a build or challenge run.
The important thing is that nothing is off the table for Lioncode Games. It’s ready to work on what players want from Wildkeepers Rising, and I think that’s a fantastic stance for a game like this that could easily go on to entertain its community for years to come.
Published: Sep 17, 2024 09:00 am